Civic timing belt

[98civicDX]

I know a guy with a 99 civic sedan and he hasnt even taken it in for a tune up yet. He is at 200k miles. Someone told him if the timing belt goes on that car it doesnt hurt the motor. Is that true? i have a 98 civic dx with a d16y7. 98k miles, do you think i should get the timing belt done?

[Ryland]

A 1999 Honda Civic has an interference engine, so yes it will destroy the engine if the timing belt brakes... ok maybe not destroy but the damages will cost more then a used engine and it costs about $300 to have the timing belt and water pump changed on a good engine, if your timing belt brakes on a non interference engine then your best case is that you have to have the car towed to have it repaired so right there is $100 to $200 on top of the repair and while they tend to last 120,000 miles or so, it is a good idea to change the timing belt at nice round numbers like 200,000 miles.

If the timing belt does brake it will bend valves, damage valve guides and can damage pistons, so at the very least you would need a rebuilt head.

[graydonengineering]

Nearly all modern engines, especialy smaller ones, are interference type. Plus, if your belt/chain is stretched far enough, it will exceed the limit of you tensioner travel and as a result have inconsitand variable timeing that is impossable to adjust propperly leading to poor performance.

The last 3 Nissans I have owned do not call for a sceduled replacement at all. They run a chain that is expected to lest the life of the motor. I would assume that would be a "normal life" of less than 200K. If I exceeded that, I would replace it anyway just to be on the safe side. Most cars and trucks call for a 60k replacement. Check your specs. You can push it a little depending on how you drive but do forget about it all together. Age alone will take it's toll on those rubber belts.

[Old Mechanic]

You and your friend need to change the timing belts yesterday. Most newer Toyotas that had timing belts are not interference engines. Nissan has pretty much eliminated timing belts, and their chains are designed to last the life of the engine. Of course if you hear one rattling like crazy it might be worth replacing if the oil in that engine is not running out the tailpipe.

Timing Belts: Is Your Engine an Interference Engine?

regards
Mech

[PaleMelanesian]

Change it. If the belt fails, the valves go bang against the pistons, which is a bad thing.

Spec on my Civic is 90,000 miles. Your 98, even though it has the same engine, is spec'd for 105,000. Either way, you're due for a change. I'm at 187,000 so I'm due for my second belt change.